Of Numbers and Strange Friendships

Chapter 51

Loki reappeared in Peter's lab in Stark Industries. His temper grew even more deadly when he saw the destruction in the room. All of the equipment was destroyed and in pieces around the room. "Arachnid?" Loki called as he surveyed the damage. He hoped that Peter was hiding behind some broken equipment, or up in the vents imitating Clint, but there was no answer.

Loki's fear spiked at the lack of answer. Peter wouldn't play around, not when the building was under attack. He strode from the destroyed lab and went straight to Happy's desk. He wasn't wasting time in finding Peter, not when Happy should know what was going on. "Where is he?" He demanded without preamble, his magic sparking green around him.

He didn't feel Peter anywhere in the building, which was only increasing his worry. Thankfully, Happy realized that today was not the day to antagonize the god. Loki was there to help and if Happy cared at all about remaining in one piece, he wouldn't do anything that would hinder Loki.

If he was very, very careful, he might even survive the encounter with the incredibly enraged god. Loki's temper was legend for a reason. Everyone who came across him before Peter was safely found would find that out the hard way. He and Thor weren't always obvious about the fact that they were literal gods. Especially when they were on Midgard. Loki was flaunting all of his power now and the mortals in his presence nearly fell to their knees at it. This was the man who had tried to take over Midgard. This was Loki at his worst. And this wasn't a mind controlled Loki. This was the calculating, clever, crafty god in full control. And that made the malicious glint in his eyes all the worse.

For this was the god who would do anything and everything in his power, laws and morality be damned, to get his blood brother back safely.

There was a reason that gods were to be feared. The malicious maelstrom of power surrounding Loki and growing in power as it fed on Loki's rage reminded every single person in the building to have a healthy respect of the god. And to never, ever do anything that would piss the Loki off like this again.

Especially when Peter or Sigyn, the leashes on Loki's temper, weren't around to keep him reined in. Thor sometimes could in a pinch, but there was usually a lot of stabbing Thor in the process.

Right that moment, Loki was enraged and everyone near him could feel it. Happy managed to avoid peeing his pants as he looked at the angry god. "We don't know. The attackers were looking for him. They took him in a black van," he said and pulled up the security footage so Loki could see for himself.

The footage showed the building being attacked by what Loki assumed were Hydra agents. A lot of agents. They demanded Peter, then began the search of the building for him. They found him and escaped with him. Peter hadn't been able to fight them without risking his identity. Though Loki saw him babbling at the men on the film. Annoying his captors into releasing him was definitely a tactic the kid would try. He would try anything to stall them long enough for Loki or Tony to come save him.

Loki had failed him in letting him get taken.

He wouldn't continue to fail him.

He teleported back to the battle the team was in. "Get down!" He roared in a battlefield bellow that had all of the team immediately on the ground. Even the Hulk listened to that roar and respected the puny god for the moment. Loki's magic exploded, taking down every single enemy in a single attack.

The team didn't have time to be surprised before Loki was turning to Stark. "They took Peter," he snarled. "This," he gestured to the battlefield around him. "Was a distraction. We need to get him back, now, before they hurt him or spill his secrets,"

"Can you find him?" Thor asked while Stark was busy processing and viewing security footage to try to find anything by mortal means.

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to find any means he could to track the spider. "Not yet," he growled. Peter wasn't holding anything of Loki's or anything Loki had given him. Loki glanced at Thor. "You will never tell Mother about anything that happens until we get him back. Especially any... less than legal... spells I might employ,"

Thor nodded gravely. "You have my word, but Heimdall..." the spy was always a problem.

Loki growled. "Heimdall will understand," he replied. "We'll start at the tower," he told them and vanished. He would work with the others for as long as they weren't hindering him. He dreaded what the kidnappers would do to Peter in the meantime. At best, they would just tie him up and demand a ransom. At worst... One of the vases in the common room exploded at Loki even considering the worst they could do to Peter.

Even if Peter was willing to compromise his identity, he could only fight so many adversaries at once.

Loki went up to Peter's room and found the boy's hairbrush. It was a less than ethical use of magic, but Loki's give-a-shit-ometer was completely broken by that point. Especially since he knew that they'd been tricked out of Stark Industries.

Which would mean they would be prepared to deal with a pissed off god, a shellhead, and the entire team of Avengers.

The team met Loki back in the common room and found him pulling a hair out of Peter's hairbrush. He held the hair in front of him in a green sphere of magic. While Loki used magic all the time, he was usually more subtle about it. The team hadn't seen much of his displays like this, and appreciated just how much magic he had and just how powerful he was. And just how much he downplayed that power most of the time.

"Any luck?" Thor ventured to ask about ten minutes later when Loki was still locked in his tracking spell.

"They're moving him," Loki growled as he continued to work. "I can't do anything until they stop,"

"Can you see any landmarks?" Stark asked, not knowing how magic worked. "We can trace a path?" He suggested. He and Jarvis could find any landmark if Loki could just tell him what he saw.

Relief filled Loki's eyes at the start of a plan and he nodded. He listed off street names, buildings, restaurants, anything he could see in the brief glimpses he caught through the tracking spell. Tony and Jarvis worked as fast as they could to keep up with the onslaught of information.

Hours passed and Loki kept his magic going while they kept moving his blood brother.

The second they stopped, they would be very, very dead men.